Editing Tahiti (section)

=== Civilization before the arrival of the Europeans ===
[[File:TahitiRaiatea.jpg|thumb|View of Ra{{okina}}iātea Mountain. The [[mummy|mummies]] of Tahitian rulers were formerly deposited on this mountain, which is considered sacred (''[[tapu (Polynesian culture)|tapu]]'').]]

Before the arrival of the Europeans, the island was divided into territories, each dominated by a single clan. The most important clans were the closely related Teva i Uta (Teva of the Interior) and the Teva i Tai (Teva of the Sea)<ref name="BernardGille">Bernard Gille, Antoine Leca (2009) ''Histoire des institutions de l'Océanie française: Polynésie, Nouvelle-Calédonie, Wallis et Futuna'', L'Harmattan, {{ISBN|978-2-296-09234-1}}</ref> whose combined territory extended from the peninsula in the south of Tahiti Nui.<ref name=s187>[[#Salvat|Salvat]], p. 187</ref>

[[File:Representation of a human sacrifice in a morai at Otaheite in the presence of Captain Cook and his officers, Le Costume Ancien et Moderne by Giulio Ferrario, 1827.jpg|thumb|left|An 1827 representation of [[Human sacrifice#Pacific|human sacrifice]] in Tahiti, based on the account of [[Captain Cook]] c.{{nbsp}}1773]]

Clan leadership consisted of a chief (''ari{{okina}}i rahi''), nobles (''ari{{okina}}i''), and under-chiefs (''{{okina}}Īato{{okina}}ai''). The ari{{okina}}i were also the religious leaders, revered for the [[Mana (Oceanian mythology)|mana]] (spiritual power) they inherited as descendants of the gods. As symbols of their power, they wore belts of red feathers. Nonetheless, to exercise their political power, councils or general assemblies composed of the ari{{okina}}i and the {{okina}}Īato{{okina}}ai had to be called, especially in case of war.<ref name="BernardGille" />

The chief's spiritual power was also limited; each clan's practice was organized around their ''marae'' (stone temple) and its priests.<ref>[[Anne Salmond (historian)|Anne Salmond]] quotes John Orsmond, an early missionary, as stating, "Marae were the sanctity and glory of the land, they were the pride of the people of these islands." This was especially true for the ancestral and national marae associated with the royal line. "It was the basis of royalty; It awakened the gods; It fixed the red feather girdle of the high chiefs."</ref><ref name="Anne">{{cite book|last1=Salmond|first1=Anne|title=Aphrodite's Island|date=2010|publisher=University of California Press|location=Berkeley|isbn=9780520261143|pages=[https://archive.org/details/aphroditesisland00salm/page/28 28, 33–34]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/aphroditesisland00salm/page/28}}</ref>{{rp|23,26–27}}